Dust-cap for tire-valves.



C. A. HERLE. DUST CAP FOR TIRE VALVES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 1918.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

DUST-CAP FOE, TIlR-E UALVES,

Specification of Letters Patent.

TB a an l at:- vea as,

Application filed May 23, 191%). Serial No. season.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. CHESTER A. HERLE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin a Dust- Cap for Tire-Valves, of which the followinois a specification.

The present invention relates to dust caps for tire valves and more particularly to the type shown in Letters Patent #1,161,57 granted to Elizabeth A. Alexander on November 23, 1915, in which a cap-body nonrotatably surrounds the valve stem and has manually operable devices movably mounted thereon for engaging with the threads on the stem.

It has been found that in dust caps of the type described'in the foregoing patent the threads will be engaged by the movable devices, but the engagement will be such that the cap will not be effectively held, due to the fact that the teeth or points of the devices will not always pass to the bottoms of the grooves of the screw threads on the stem, but will engage the threads out of line with the bottoms of the grooves, thus e1ther providing a loose mountingof the cap or an ineffective securing ot the latter to the stem. It is the purpose of this invention to provide, in connection with a cap of the type mentioned, means which will permit the points of the teeth 01" the movable devices to pass to the bottoms of the screw thread grooves, while at. the same time giving to the cap a tendency to project itself automatically from the stem when the movable devices are operated to release the cap.

To these and other ends, the invention consists of certain parts and combinations of parts all of which will be hereinafter described, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a viewi,partially in side elevation and partially in section, of a dust cap embodying the present invention and applied to a valve stem;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the cap removed from the stem;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33, Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4: and 5 are detail views of a spring employed in connection with the cap.

Referring to the embodiment herein illus trated, 1 indicates the cap-body which has. a chamber for the reception of the screw stem 2 of the ordinary tire valve, the cross section of the chamber being such that the body cooperates with the flat sides oi valve stem to prevent rotation of the Mounted for movement on the cap-body manually operable devices which, in t instance, are latches 3 pivoted at 5% within lateral pockets 5 formed in opposite sides of the cap-body. Springs 8 act on the latches to hold them in looking positions. Each latch has a tooth 6 for engaging the screw threads of the valve stem and a re piece 7 extending to the exterior of the laid for manipulation of the latch. The too 6 is so arranged that any tendency to w tdraw the cap causes the tooth to swing in wardly and toward the open end'ot the cap into more firm engagement with the valvestem.

Owing to the fact that each tooth moves relatively to the cap-body, it will, unle s directly opposite the deepest portion oi? groove of the screw threads, not more to its innermost position, and, in fact, will at times engage directly on the ridges of the screw threads although the cap will appear to be held. To overcome this and to cause the teeth to move to their innermost positions, thecap-body carries at its open end resilient means which acts on the vehicle wheel about the tire valve to yield, so that the teeth of the movable latch 01 the dust cap may be brought into line with the dc est portions oi the grooves, and in this s r a firm engagement between the latches a the valve stem is established, which nient becomes more pronounced, due to the fact that the resilient meanstends to move the cap in a direction whichincreases the binding action; Tlieseresults are accomplished in this embodiment by providing an enlarged annular chamber 9 at the open end of the cap, thus forming aminterior annular shoulder 10 which acts as an abutment for the resilient device. The latter, in this instance, is a split ring 11 having its ends deflected in opposite directions and reversely curved, so that it forms a compression sprinc'. lhis construction will permit the spring to flatten into one plane. The other abutment for the spring is a channeled annular member 12 with a peripheral flange 13.

ll ti This channeled member 12 is movable within the chamber 9 and its flange 13 1s normally held against an annular l'lange 1-1 projected inwardly from the outer end of the cap body.

In applying the dust cap, the latter is pushed over the stem until the spring 11 has been compressed sullicient-ly to cause the latches 3 to engage properly with the screw of the valve stem. In this position, it will be held firmly against vibration, the spring acting in a direction to cause the latches to bind onthe stem more firmly. Upon the disengagement of the latches with the valve stem the spring acts to project the cap "from the stem so that the cap is not liable to stick.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. A dust cap for an externally threaded tire valve comprising-a cap body having a chamber for receiving the stem of the tire valve, said chamber having a cross section which prevents the rotation of the body on the stem, manually operable devices movable on the cap body for engaging with and to disengage from the threads of the stem, and resilient means on the body for acting on a vehicle \v-heel about the stem.

2. A dust can for an externally threaded tire valve comprising a body having a chal'nbcr for receiving the stem of the tire valve, said chamber having a cross section which prevents rotation of the body on the stem, the open end of said body being enlarged, a yieldingly mounted member operating within the enlarged end and projecting from said end to cooperate with a vehicle wheel about the stem, and a manually operable device movably mounted on the cap body to be engaged with and disengaged from the threads on the valve stem.

3. A dust cap for an externally threaded tire valve comprising a body having a chamber for receiving the stem of the tire valve, said chamber having a cross section which prevents rotation of the body on the stem, the open end of the body being enlarged and providing an internal shoulder within the body, a member guided within said enlarged portion and projecting from the body to surround the stem, resilient means abutting said internal shoulder and said member, and manually o erable devices movably mounted on the )ody to engage with and to be disengaged from the screw threads of the stem. I

4. A dust cap for an externally threaded tire valve comprising a cap body, a manually operable device having an engagingportion movable in the direction of the length of the cap and also inwardly as it moves toward the open end of the cap to increase the binding engagement with the valve stem when the cap" is moved in the direction of withdrawal, and resilient means carried by the cap to cooperate with a vehicle wheel about the stem in order to give the cap a tendency to move in the direction of withdrawal.

CHESTER A. HERLE. 

